The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-06-09
THE LEpERs OF LOUISIANA.
Prevalence OF the Malady In two old Pal
ishera.

Ah0 Ah4 AAbC VI AVoAAAhASAAs
Prevalence of the Malady in two old Par
ishers.
The report of the State Board of Health
on the leprosy in st. Martinsville has
aroused the New Orleans press, and it is
calling for the establishment of q leper
hospital. There are now three localities
affected by leprosy in Louisiana-in La
fourche, Vermillion and St. Martinsville.
where the disease has been propagated
for century or more. In the instance
just reported iu st. Martiusville the
board of health declares it to be heredita-
ry and non.contagious, but when a former
investigation was made in Lafourche,
some time ago, there were indications of
contagion, and the inquiry made by the
British Government in Nova, whence it
was carried to Louisiana, showed that in
many cases the loatbsome disease could
be transferred from one affected with it to
a healthy person. The Louisiana Board
of Health and the press, therefore, call
for leper hospital, and for the passage
of law isolating in it all persons affected
with the disease, and they point out that
such a hospital existed in New Orleans
many years ago, and succeeded in effec.
tually exterminating leprosy in that sec.
tion of the State. The investigation Of
the board at st. Martinsville showed that
while there was very little of the disease
there-only eight cases, including even
the suspicious ones-that the wild rumors
of its prevalence had done great injury.
ST. Martinsville is sleepy little town of
5000 people, the commercial and social
capital of that portion of Louisiana in.
habited by tbe,acsdians who came here
from Acadia, or Nova Scotia, something
over centuary ago, and whose story has
been so we'll told by Longfellow in
"Evangeline." The population of the
town is almost wholly French, and French
is the ordinary language. Occasional
cases of leproay have been reported from
the neighborhood for years past, and
when some one started the rumor that
the disease had reached an epidemic
form, that several hundred people were
afflicted with it, and it was rapidly
spreading, the story was generally believ-
ed and panic ensued which killed bust.
ness of all kinds, and made st. Martins.
Vile gloomy and deserted. The farmers
of the neighborhood refused to come to
so dangerous place either to buy o. sell,
and within the town people were so
frightened that they refused to. shake
hands with each other through fear of
catching the disease, and even refused to
be shaved by the barber for q like reason.
Every one suspected his neighbor, and
feeling of insecurity prevailed that final.
ly became unendurable, and the board of
health was called on to investigate the
matter. It's investigation has shown the
reported prevalence of. the leprosy there
to be grossly exaggerated, and that it is
not contagious but hereditary. At the
same time, "to make assurance doubly
sure" the mayor of the town has taken
the wise precaution of isolating those who
have been found afflicted with this disease
until such time as the State shall provide
a hospital for them.
There is every excuse for the panic, for
the leprosy has been known TO exist in q
certain section of Louisiana, notably in
the lower end of Lafourche Parish, for
over centuary, and Of all "the ills that
flesh is heir to" none can equal this hor.
rible malady, against which there is no
hope, which renders its victim disgusting
to the world and to himself, and which
shows itself in the descendants 10 the last
generation. The disease in Louisiana is
the true Oriental leprosy, differing in only
few features from that described in the
Bible. 1t is treacherous and comes SO.
slowly upon its victim that he knows
nothing of its approach until it has fas.
tened its fatal fangs upon him. There is,
slight pain in the leg or arm, or possi.'
bly, a mild Notwithstanding more.
Some weeks, or perhaps months afterward
small red spot shows itself upon the
forehead or arm. 1t is so small as to
attract no attention-to be scarcely motto.
ed, but it gradually grows larger and
larger, until it extends over the whole
face, giving it nodulated or bumpy ap-
pearance; the red changes to dark brown
and finally to a bronze, and assumes
more and more the roughness and ap.
pearance of leather, looking finally like
the hide of an elephant. From that time
the disease progresses rapidly. The
hair and teeth drop out, the nails fall of,
the extremities become purplisb, the fin.
gers and toes rot away the mouth be.
comes feyerish, as hot as lime kiln, the
tongue blotchy, and purple red, hangs
from it and finally falls out; the voice
grows weaker and weaker and disappears;
the throat fills up, and tracheotomy fire..
quently has to be resorted to and tube
inserted in order to allow the patient to
breathe. Ulcers break out on the legs
and arms and gradually eat them away !;
face becomes less human and finally
] games the appearance of q Wild animal
without any resemblance to humanity.
The two Misses Royen, girls of nineteen
and twenty. two, who had been fair and
pretty, looked like women of over one
hundred, haggard, hairless and toothless,
their faces a livid bronze and covered
with ulcers. In the latter stages of the
disease the victim is absolutely helpless
with only the trunk left behind, to finally
die of complete exhaustion. During
these stages the odor emitted, distinctive
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